Food establishment
The design and facilities of food establishments producing snowy moon cakes should be in compliance with the licensing requirements and conditions set forth by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. Food establishments should have a cleaning and sanitation programme in place to monitor and control all equipment, utensils, refrigeration units that have potential impact on the safety of snowy moon cakes.
Raw materials/ingredients
- Raw materials and ingredients should only be obtained from reputable and approved sources.
- Raw materials/ingredients delivered to a food premises should be inspected before acceptance.
- Personnel responsible for inspection should as far as practically possible satisfy that :
- there are no signs or indications of contamination or damage to the raw materials/ingredients;
- chilled/frozen raw materials/ingredients have arrived at the proper temperatures (e.g. frozen items at -18°C or below; chilled items at 4°C or below) and free from observable evidence of temperature abuse.
- Manufacturers should satisfy themselves that their suppliers have developed and fully implemented an appropriate sampling and inspection system to ensure that the raw materials/ingredients are in compliance with the agreed specifications.
Storage of raw materials/ingredients
- Raw materials and ingredients should be stored and handled under suitable conditions to prevent spoilage, contamination and damage. Stocks of raw materials and ingredients should be properly rotated to ensure that the first-in-first-out principle is followed.
- Raw materials should be stored at proper temperatures:
- frozen items should be stored at -18°C or below;
- chilled items should be stored at 4°C or below.
- Packaging materials should be non-toxic and appropriate for snowy moon cakes. They should be stored and handled in a clean and sanitary manner.
Preparation and storage of finished products
- Food handlers should receive proper training in handling and preparing snowy moon cakes as well as personal hygiene to enable them to take precautions necessary to prevent contamination of snowy moon cakes.
- Frozen ingredients should be thawed under refrigeration that maintains the temperature at 4°C or below. Thawed ingredients should be used as quickly as possible for the production of snowy moon cakes and under no circumstances be held above 4°C for more than 1 hour.
- Finished products prepared at room temperature should be cooled to 4°C or below within 1 hour.
- Finished products intended to be stored frozen should be maintained at a temperature of -18°C or below.
- Finished products should be labelled properly and the label should include a statement of storage conditions.
Transportation, distribution and display of finished products
- Finished products should be transported, distributed and displayed in a proper manner and at appropriate temperatures to protect them from contamination and deterioration.
- Where possible, transportation, distribution and display units of finished products should be equipped with accurate and reliable temperature control and monitoring instruments.
- Finished products should be rotated to ensure that the distribution and sale of products is carried out in a first-in-first-out basis.
- Appropriate and adequate chillers and/or freezers should be available in authorized retail outlets selling snowy moon cakes.
- Clear instructions on the proper methods of storing, handling and displaying snowy moon cakes should be available and given to retailers.
Management system
- A preventive food safety management system (such as the HACCP system) should be established to ensure that effective control measures are in place to minimize the potential chemical, physical or microbiological contamination of the products during the manufacturing process.
Enquiry
For more information, please contact the Communication Resource Unit.
Telephone : 2381 6096
Address : Room 401, 4/F, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Nam Cheong Offices and Vehicle Depot, 87 Yen Chow Street West, Kowloon